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Planning | Activity Centers

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1. Why do we need to redevelop/reinvest?

Every city has a lifecycle and we have reached the peak of ours now. With only 4% of developable land left until we are completely built out, we know we are at the decision point where we can either be aspirational or go into decline. Doing nothing is not an option -- we can change or time will make changes for us. 

2. What does Community Reinvestment mean?

Reinvestment means putting money into an existing asset (home, retail center, etc.) to bring the property up to new standards or trends in commercial and residential development. The City is exploring pilot programs that incentivize homeowners and landlords to invest in their properties and updating our development rules and services to encourage reinvestment across the city.

3. What does redevelopment mean?

Simply, redevelopment is when an existing building and/or parking areas are demolished and a new development is built on the same site. It usually involves building more on the site than was previously there, creating density. Redevelopment can also occur when a current building is repurposed into a new use or to align with new market trends.

4. Why can't we annex more land to grow the city?

The City has limited land in its extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ), which is the area immediately outside of Sugar Land's corporate limits. All land surrounding the City is either already incorporated or in another jurisdiction's ETJ.

5. I don't want apartments in Sugar Land. What other types of housing will be allowed with this redevelopment plan?

As described in the 2018 Land Use Plan, any new apartments built in Sugar Land will be required to be multi-story, urban-style apartments that activate the streets. Standalone, garden-style apartments are not supported by the Land Use Plan. Additional housing options that will be considered include townhomes, condos, duplexes, accessory dwelling units, and live-work units that support local entrepreneurship and employment. These new types of housing are an essential first step to providing pathways to homeownership and drive demand for existing and new dining, retail, amenities, and attractions.

6. What are Regional Activity Centers (RAC)?

• Regional Activity Centers (RAC) are new or redeveloped commercial areas that will serve as destinations for both the city and region. These areas will be developed to vertically integrate various land uses such as commercial and retail buildings, educational and health care facilities, civic buildings, and a residential component. It's important the uses complement each other and the highest and best use of the land. Other qualities found in a RAC are varied building heights from low-rise to mid-ride, structured parking, street-level stores, pedestrian and bicycle friendly, and public spaces that can be used at various times of the day for various purposes.
• The City of Sugar Land's Land Use Plan designates these five (5) locations as RAC:
  • Sugar Land Town Center
  • Lake Pointe
  • University Boulevard
  • Imperial
  • Sugar Creek Triangle

7. If we develop regional activity centers, how will the City ensure business occupancy rates stay up?

The City cannot guarantee specific occupancy rates as retail is market driven by consumer demand. One of the key ingredients in a mixed-use development is housing which supports retail tenants. To support local retail, we encourage you to shop local instead of online purchases.

8. When you say more people, how many more people do we need?

There is not a specific number of people needed. However, more people and housing are necessary for new commercial development and amenities to be supported.  This will be driven by the market on a development-by-development basis.  Accounting for annexation, the City’s population has only grown 1.4% from 2015-2019 (City’s Workforce and Targeted Industry Study).

The most important thing is to continue to grow and attract new residents by providing options for downsizing and pathways to homeownership for the younger generations.  

 

9. What is the City doing to ensure infrastructure can support any new developments?

Sugar Land is committed to ensuring our infrastructure can adequately support additional development. Periodic updates to our master plans through long range planning helps the City anticipate population growth in key areas. When additional utility extensions or transportation improvements are needed, the City proactively allocates funding through the annual capital improvement program (CIP). Additionally, certain site improvements are paid for by the property owner/developer, which helps alleviate the financial burden to Sugar Land’s operating budget.  

10. What is the Land Use Plan?

The Land Use Plan is a guiding document that outlines policy direction and guidance for development, redevelopment and land use decisions. The plan is not a regulating document. The Land Use Plan furthers the Comprehensive Plan’s overall vision and sets out a specific land use vision and goals for the city and outlines actions that will achieve those goals to ensure Sugar Land continues to thrive.

11. What is mixed-use zoning and what does the Land Use Plan say about it?

Mixed-use zoning brings together residential and nonresidential uses in walkable, pedestrian districts. Examples of mixed-use places include office, residential, retail, and restaurants. 

The Land Use Plan states that mixed-use development is a critical factor in maintaining the City's ability to continue to provide first-rate city services at one of the lowest property tax rates in the state. Continued commercial development is vitally important to Sugar Land from both an economic perspective as well as the civic services and amenities it provides to residents and visitors. The success of Sugar Land Town Square is a model for future walkable, mixed-use Regional and Neighborhood Activity Centers.

12. Is there public support for mixed-use zoning?

Yes. When we updated the Land Use Plan (a component of the City’s Comprehensive Plan, which serves as a guide to how the City should develop and redevelop and evolve over time to reflect changing conditions) in 2018, we heard through that process that residents wanted mixed-use type areas in our community. They wanted not just a mix of uses, but they want us to create places where people can gather outside of work, school and their homes.   

13. Why are we going through an update of the development code?

The City of Sugar Land is actively working on enhancing our community's quality of life through the implementation of new mixed-use zoning regulations. Amending the development code to allow for mixed-use areas within the City is an action step included in the Land Use Plan to accomplish this goal. These regulations are a direct response to the long-term shifts in market demands and demographic trends, as well as the desires expressed by our residents during the Land Use Plan update in 2018. These regulations aim to create vibrant Activity Centers that integrate offices, housing, retail, entertainment, and civic uses, providing spaces where people can gather outside of work, school, and their homes. With the introduction of two new mixed-use zoning districts, we strive to bridge the gap between residential and commercial land uses. 

14. Are you looking to change the entire development code?

No. These proposed changes are only meant to create mixed-use Activity Centers as identified in the 2018 Land Use Plan approved by City Council. 

15. How many activity centers are there and where are they located?

The Land Use Plan identifies:  

• Five (5) Regional Activity Centers (RACs) strategically located along regional highways to ensure intense commercial, retail and other high-traffic destinations are contained within designated areas and separated from single-family residential neighborhoods. Each RAC is intended to have its own unique identity providing different amenities for both residents and employees for entertainment, dining and shopping 
• Nine (9) Neighborhood Activity Centers (NACs) located on arterial streets, which are envisioned to be small mixed-use centers that act as a “Main Street” for nearby neighborhoods. These will largely be created through the redevelopment of older commercial areas and will minimize impacts on adjacent single-family neighborhoods by providing buffers and smooth transitions

16. What does the mixed-use zoning code aim to do?

The goal of the mixed-use zoning code and the proposed mixed-use districts is threefold. The mixed-use zoning code aims to:  

1. Create Vibrant Activity Centers: We are committed to developing Activity Centers that blend offices, housing, retail, entertainment, and civic uses, promoting a dynamic and engaging community environment - as envisioned by the Land Use Plan. 
2. Integrate Residential and Commercial Uses: The introduction of two new mixed-use zoning districts will enable the integration of residential and commercial land uses, fostering a cohesive environment where both can coexist and complement each other. 
3. Follow a Transparent and Fair Process: Creating these two mixed-use zoning districts does not automatically place this zoning on any property – that requires rezoning. All rezoning requests must go through a transparent, public, process that involves Planning & Zoning, and City Council approval.  Once the mixed-use zoning is in place, staff ensures development applications are compliant and achieve City Council’s vision. 

17. How long will this process take?

We have been hard at work since November 2020, with our zoning experts at Clarion Associates to research the best way to implement activity centers as discussed in the 2018 Land Use Plan. Writing the mixed-use zoning code, including researching comparison cities, has taken a little over a year. We anticipate presenting a final mixed-use zoning code to City Council in Fall 2023.   

18. We have rules for a reason. Why do these need to be changed now?

Much like a vehicle that needs an oil change, our zoning codes need regular maintenance to make good things happen. City Council’s #1 priority is redevelopment because we are a community at a crossroads where we can either proactively blaze new trails into the future or lose our competitive advantage. While our zoning regulations control certain aspects of development and generally perform well, we also recognize they can also be too controlling in other ways. Without updating our zoning standards to keep up with the market and real estate trends and with surrounding communities, our community loses the competitive advantage we’ve historically enjoyed.  

19. How large are activity centers compared to the rest of Sugar Land?

In terms of acreage, activity centers only comprise less than 7% of the City’s land.